Delicious Hanoi egg coffee

(Baoquangngai.vn)- Coming to Hanoi , you can enjoy egg coffee in many places, from luxury to popular shops. However, if you want to try this drink in its birthplace, it can only be at Giang coffee. Egg coffee here conquers diners with its rich flavor and interesting story about the original birthplace of this drink.

Egg coffee impression

On a trip to Hanoi with acquaintances, after finishing work, even though the train was only a few hours away, the friends still insisted on enjoying a cup of egg coffee from Giang Cafe before leaving Hanoi to return to Quang Ngai . “Coffee connoisseurs who come to Hanoi but have not tried Giang Coffee once are missing out. You may not find it delicious, but you cannot help but try it. American TV channel CNN once rated egg coffee as one of the most impressive specialties of Hanoi. Notably, during the 2019 US-North Korea Summit in Vietnam, Giang Coffee was also chosen as a drink to serve international journalists,” a friend shared and we immediately went there.

Giang Cafe is located deep in a small, humble alley. When asked for the address, Hanoians and drivers all know it by heart. It is on Nguyen Huu Huan Street, Ly Thai To Ward, Hoan Kiem District; it only takes about 200m from Hoan Kiem Lake to find it. From the outside gate, the shop has its inherent simplicity, the entrance is small and narrow, about 1m wide. This makes visitors even more curious about one of the four famous and renowned coffee "pillars" in Hanoi, which are "Nhan - Nhi - Di - Giang".

A corner of Giang coffee shop.

Giang Coffee, home to the famous egg coffee, is a familiar destination for Hanoians and tourists.

The restaurant is small, about 200 square meters wide, with 2 floors. Not only Hanoians but also many domestic and foreign tourists come to enjoy. There are no luxurious, sophisticated tables and chairs, the most popular are small tables and stools, arranged along the surrounding walls. The old, rustic, and simple atmosphere of the restaurant gives visitors a very unique feeling of old Hanoi, things that those who rarely have the opportunity to visit Hanoi, have only learned about and felt through movies and newspapers.

Wait about 5 minutes, the staff brings out hot cups of egg coffee, served in a small, specially designed, simple, palm-sized cup of warm water. Slowly stir the floating foam, bring each small spoon to your mouth, the coffee and egg flavors blend together harmoniously; not too sweet, not too bitter, but creamy, with a strong, alluring aroma. At first, I hesitated to enjoy it, but then I just wanted to order another cup.

Giang Coffee is the birthplace of Hanoi's famous egg coffee.

"The family recipe is so perfect that it minimizes the greasy and fishy taste of chicken eggs and the bitter taste of coffee, making it unique and special among the streets of Hanoi. Perhaps that is why egg coffee is especially suitable for those who cannot stand the bitter taste of filter coffee but still want to enjoy and sip it. We feel more deeply the sophistication of Hanoians in each cup of egg coffee", Ms. Tran Thi Thanh Truyen (37 years old), in Nghia Lo ward (Quang Ngai city) shared her feelings after enjoying it.

77 year old coffee cup

Egg coffee appeared in Hanoi in the early years of the 20th century. The creator of this unique drink was Mr. Nguyen Van Giang, who passed away 76 years ago. Mr. Giang used to work as a bartender at a 5-star hotel during the French colonial period. At a time when sugar and milk were still scarce, he transformed the familiar Western cappuccino into egg coffee, with familiar but richer ingredients, which is to use egg yolks instead.

Ms. Nguyen Huong Giang (40 years old), the third generation in Mr. Giang's family, said that it is a great alternative, both solving the problem during the difficult economic period and creating a new, strange drink for Vietnamese cuisine. As for the coffee ingredient, after being filtered with a filter, it will be brewed in a small cup, then mixed with egg yolk, beaten well with other ingredients according to the family's secret recipe. When served to diners, the cup of coffee is placed in a cup of warm water to keep the heat. Of course, this drink is more suitable for winter weather than summer.

Young people enjoy egg coffee and green rice, specialties of Hanoi.

After 77 years of ups and downs in history, the first owner of Giang coffee has disappeared. Hundreds of famous coffee brands from home and abroad have appeared on the market. However, Giang coffee still stands on a familiar street corner of Hanoi with egg coffee, gaining recognition from tourists and international friends. They come here, not only to enjoy a creative drink but also to have extremely interesting experiences, with unique characteristics of the streets and people of ancient Hanoi, still preserved to this day.

Article and photos: THIEN HAU

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